The International Socialist League (ISL) will participate in the Solidarity Convoy that will depart from various locations across the European Union for Kyiv during the second half of November. Although we have not signed the initial declaration—due to differences regarding the omission of certain points we consider important—we share the need to build solidarity through unity. On August 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day, we reaffirm our commitment to its working people with a view toward a strategic solution.
By Rubén Tzanoff
A real and current need
Global public attention is focused on Zionist imperialist attacks in the Middle East. Putin is taking advantage of this to launch waves of ballistic missiles at defenseless civilian populations, without this provoking a political or media response commensurate with the crimes.
Added to this is another element that terrifies Ukrainians and arrives on a set date: winter. The systematic destruction of the energy, water, and transportation infrastructure could prove fatal soon.
Furthermore, the resistance waged by the working people—both on the front lines and behind the lines—has now lasted more than four years already. These developments underscore the need for humanitarian and political aid to ensure the success of the Ukrainian resistance.
A deeply asymmetrical war
Regardless of what media and propaganda say, this war remains one-sided. The Ukrainian resistance has managed to halt the Russian advance and, through huge efforts, strike military targets on enemy territory, particularly through the use of drones. But that does not qualitatively alter the balance of power.
Russia is a military and imperialist power. Ukraine is a dependent country under invasion. There is no war between two equal forces, nor is there direct intervention by troops from different imperialist powers that would call for adopting a position of revolutionary defeatism. There is a power that is invading and a people resisting as best they can. There is an occupying army and another that, together with the population, is fighting for its territory.
Ukraine is fighting for its very existence, and in light of this, it is worth citing some historical views on the matter. In “The Right of Nations to Self-Determination” (1914), Lenin wrote:“Without engaging in idle speculation, we firmly uphold something that is beyond all doubt: Ukraine’s right to become such a [independent] state.”
And in “Ukraine” (1917), Lenin stated: “No democrat, let alone a socialist, will dare to deny the complete legitimacy of Ukraine’s demands. And no democrat can deny Ukraine the right to freely secede from Russia.”
Our position is clear. We stand with the Ukrainian resistance, in support of the expulsion of Russian troops and the right of the Ukrainian people to reclaim their territories and freely determine their own destiny.
You may also be interested in: “Lenin on the National Question.”
Why We Joined the Convoy
In this context, we particularly value the internationalist and grassroots nature of the Solidarity Convoy. It is not a government-led initiative, but rather a movement that started as an initiative from unions, social movements, community organizations, and solidarity groups.
The Convoy calls on labor unions, feminist, environmental, LGBTIQ+ community, and anti-fascists groups and individuals to join—not only from a humanitarian perspective but also from a political one, to support Ukraine’s self-determination, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
The ISL did not sign the Statement
The ISL is participating in the Convoy—a broad and diverse coalition—without having signed its call to action. We support the defense of Ukraine, but we believe this is a one-sided approach, because this war cannot be analyzed solely as Russian aggression, even though that is an essential starting point.
This conflict has a dual nature: in addition to the Russian imperialist invasion, there is an inter-imperialist dispute over Eastern Europe and global realignment. The United States, the European powers, NATO, and Russia are all involved, each defending its own economic, strategic, and geopolitical interests. Failing to mention this leaves out a fundamental part of reality, one that not only affects Ukraine today but will also shape its future.
You may also be interested in: “A Contribution on War and Debates on the Left”
Trump and the United States are providing weapons to help Ukraine resist, but not to defeat Putin. At the same time, Trump seeks to gain economic and strategic advantages from the war and Ukraine’s reconstruction. The dispute over Ukraine’s natural resources, including so-called rare earth elements, is a manifestation of this.
Nor do the European powers act out of solidarity with the people, but rather aligned with their own economic and geopolitical interests. They use NATO as a military instrument, which is not a neutral organization but a military alliance serving the Western imperialist powers.
For us, it is impossible to approach our tasks and policies in stages —“first defeat Putin, then the rest”—because reality places both processes side by side and in mutual interaction today, not in the future. Just as they did with the Belarusian people and others, they will not hesitate to abandon the Ukrainian people if Trump reaches an agreement with Putin.
So, we are part of a common mission without expecting all the organizations and people involved to share the same political vision. However, we do not give up our own positions.
With political independence from Zelensky
Standing with Ukraine does not mean supporting Zelensky, as campists and others falsely state.
Zelensky’s administration has intensified neoliberal policies and measures that undermine workers’ rights. In the name of the war effort, there have been restrictions on labor rights, attacks on labor unions, curtailments of democratic freedoms, and measures that favor economic concentration and the interests of business sectors.
Resistance to the invasion does not eliminate class differences. In Ukraine, there is also a social and political struggle that is gradually regaining momentum. There are workers, unions, popular movements, and sectors of the left that have their own interests and demands. Their rights cannot be suspended indefinitely in the name of war while oligarchs, government officials, and those close to power enjoy privileges. We defend a position that is independent of both the government and oligarchic, reactionary nationalist, and far-right forces.
With a principled platform
The Ukrainian resistance is heroic, sustained by the enormous efforts of the workers and the people, both on the front lines and behind the lines; that is why we must support and strengthen it from the grassroots up. This means democratic unions, strong grassroots organizations, and worker participation in defending their rights and in decisions about the country’s future. We stand for peace, but for a just peace—not one negotiated behind the backs of the Ukrainian working people, and without impositions or territorial concessions.
Our solidarity is simultaneously anti-imperialist, internationalist, and class-based. We do not choose between Putin and Zelensky. We do not choose between the Ukrainian oligarchies and Western imperialism. We stand with the Ukrainian working people, calling on Russian workers to confront Putin, boycott the war, and join forces with Ukrainian workers to defeat the capitalists in both countries together and pave the way for workers’ governments.
The expulsion of the invaders must pave the way for a democratic process of self-determination for all the peoples living in Ukraine—with a view toward a socialist solution, entirely free from the destructive bureaucracy of Stalinism.
We stand for the defeat of the Russian invasion and the expulsion of Putin’s troops. But we do not want the end of Russian domination to lead to Ukraine’s new subordination to Washington, Brussels, or any other power. We want a Ukraine free from all imperialist domination.
Join and Support the Convoy
We have immediate tasks that unite us with our comrades in the Convoy: strengthening ties with Ukrainian and international labor unions and grassroots organizations, learning firsthand about their needs, and working together to organize the Convoy to address those needs.
Solidarity must translate into concrete aid: generators and energy equipment, supplies, medicines, and resources for the communities—everything that labor and social organizations identify as a priority and that the Convoy can provide.
And through outreach, with cultural events, festivals, and other initiatives. This is what the Ukrainian Socialist League (LSU) and the Social Movement (MS) did with a joint event in Kyiv; our German-speaking comrades also made their voices heard at the Revolution camp held in Brandenburg, and there were joint actions in Barcelona on August 24.
Once the vehicles get underway, the next step will be to carry out the activities that are already being planned in each city. Help us organize, build, and strengthen the Convoy through financial contributions, outreach, support activities, and other solidarity initiatives.
In anticipation of Ukraine’s Independence Day
Today, August 24, marks the anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Our salute to the working people who are resisting the invasion echoes a passage from the words written by our comrades in the Ukrainian Socialist League (LSU) in 2024 on the occasion of this commemoration: “For us, Ukrainian socialists, the true and genuine independence of our country still lies ahead, and we must fight for it. True independence is the result of the successful culmination of national liberation struggles. And it, in turn, can only be truly victorious if we overcome the global capitalist system of exploitation and oppression, in which Ukraine has no place in the sun and is condemned to remain a peripheral appendage, supplying raw materials and cheap labor to the countries of Europe.”
